Human–animal breastfeeding

Sometimes, animals help feed human babies.

In the past, goats and donkeys were used. This helped when a mother could not feed her child.

Some people thought animal milk changed a child. They thought a goat might make a child playful.

Many old stories also talk about this. A wolf once fed twin brothers in a famous tale.

People also feed animals for other reasons. Some women feed pets to show love. Others do it to help a young animal live. It is a very old way to care for life.

Throughout history, humans and animals have shared milk.

Sometimes, animals help feed human babies. In the past, many babies used goats or donkeys as wet nurses. A wet nurse is a person who feeds a baby.

Animals were often used if a mother could not feed her child. In Europe, hospitals used goats and donkeys to feed abandoned babies. This was often safer than using human nurses who might carry germs. Some people even thought animal milk changed a child's spirit. They believed milk from a lioness could make a child brave.

Many old stories also show this bond. A famous tale tells of twin brothers raised by a wolf. Humans also feed animals for many reasons. Some women feed pets to show love. Other people feed animals to help them stay alive. It is a very old way to care for life.

Throughout history, humans and animals have shared a special bond through milk. This practice, called human-animal breastfeeding, happens in two different ways. Sometimes, women nurse young animals like puppies or kittens. Other times, animals like goats or donkeys nurse human babies.

This was often done to help babies survive when a mother could not feed them. People used animals as "wet nurses," which are helpers who provide milk to infants. This connection has been part of many different cultures for a very long time. It shows how humans have looked to the animal world to care for their own young.

In many places, using animals was a practical way to keep babies healthy. In 18th and 19th-century Europe, foundling hospitals used goats and donkeys to feed abandoned babies.

Using an animal was often safer than using a human wet nurse. At that time, milk could carry germs that made babies very sick. It was not until the 1870s that we learned how to make milk safe through pasteurisation. In some cases, people even used goats to help treat babies with illnesses. They would give the goats special medicine so the milk would carry it to the child. This was a difficult and serious way to try and save lives.

Many famous stories and myths use this idea to show how special a person is.

In Rome, the twin brothers Romulus and Remus were said to be raised by a she-wolf. The Greek god Zeus was also said to have been fed by a goat named Amalthea. Even some great leaders like Cyrus I of Persia were rumored to have been suckled by a dog. These stories were often used to show that these people were destined for greatness. In literature, a famous 12th-century story called Hayy ibn Yaqdhan tells of a boy raised by an antelope. These tales show how much people have wondered about the link between humans and animals.

People in the past also believed that milk could change a person's character.

For example, the scientist Carl Linnaeus thought that milk from a lioness could make a child brave. Some people thought goats might make a child too playful, so they chose donkeys instead. In Egypt, however, people feared donkey milk might make a child stubborn. Even human milk was thought to pass on traits, leading to laws in 19th-century France. These beliefs show that people saw milk as more than just food. They saw it as a way for the qualities of one living thing to move into another.

Today, we know there are many different reasons why humans nurse animals. Some women do it out of love for a family pet. Others do it for economic reasons, such as helping an animal survive so it can be useful later. There are also religious reasons, like the Italian nun Saint Veronica Giuliani, who nursed a lamb as a symbol. Some people even do it for their own health, like trying to ease pain. Whether for survival, tradition, or affection, this practice connects us to the natural world in a very direct way.

Human-animal breastfeeding describes a practice where humans and other species exchange milk. This occurrence happens in two directions. Sometimes, women nurse young animals like puppies, kittens, or piglets. Other times, animals serve as substitute wet nurses for human infants.

A wet nurse is a person or animal that provides milk to a child. This practice has appeared in many cultures across various time periods. It often serves practical, economic, or religious purposes. It also appears frequently in ancient mythology and historical legends.

The mechanism of direct suckling was often preferred over milking animals. In many historical settings, milking an animal created risks of contamination. Microbes could enter the milk during the milking process. This contamination often led to deadly diarrheal diseases in infants. Direct suckling allowed the infant to receive milk straight from the animal. This method became more reliable only after the 1870s. During that time, the invention of pasteurisation and sterilisation made stored milk safer.

Before these scientific advances, direct contact was a primary way to ensure nutrition.

Different animals were chosen for specific roles based on local needs. In 18th and 19th-century Europe, foundling hospitals used goats and donkeys. These animals were often easier and cheaper to obtain than human wet nurses. In England, donkeys were a common choice for feeding abandoned babies. In France, large numbers of goats were kept in hospitals to feed infants. Some institutions required nurses to carry infants to the animals. Other places allowed the goats to walk to the infants' cribs.

This variety shows how humans adapted to their specific environments.

History shows that this practice was deeply tied to medical beliefs. In the 18th and 19th centuries, goats were used to treat congenital syphilis. Doctors would give liquid mercury compounds to the nanny goats. This could be done by feeding the goat the medicine directly. It could also be done by applying mercury ointment to a wound on the goat's leg. The mercury would then accumulate in the goat's milk. When the infant suckled the goat, they received the medicine. This method sometimes improved mortality rates, though the goats often died from mercury poisoning.

Mythology uses animal suckling to explain the greatness of famous figures. The most famous example is Romulus and Remus. These twin brothers were said to be raised by a she-wolf.

The Greek god Zeus was also said to have been raised by the goat Amalthea. Historical figures like Cyrus I of Persia were claimed to have been suckled by a dog. Even mares were said to have suckled leaders like Xerxes. These stories were likely forms of myth-making. They used the idea of animal nursing to prove a leader's divine or extraordinary nature.

People also believed that milk could transmit specific character traits. This concept suggests that an animal's qualities move into the nursing creature. The scientist Carl Linnaeus believed lioness milk conferred great courage. In modern Egypt, people feared donkey milk might cause stupidity or obstinacy. In 19th-century France, laws were even proposed regarding human milk. Some believed that a mother's immoral traits could be passed to her child through nursing.

These beliefs show how deeply people linked biology with personality.

Today, researchers categorize the motivations for human-animal breastfeeding into four groups. The most common reason is the affectionate nursing of family pets. The second is economic, such as saving an animal to use for meat or medicine. The third category involves ceremonial or religious reasons. For example, the Ainu people in Japan held festivals involving bears raised by women. The fourth and least common reason is for the mother's own health. This includes using animals to relieve pain or manage breast engorgement. These diverse reasons show the complex connection between humans and the animal kingdom.